Lack of pace…that’s been Ferrari’s story this season; and Istanbul on Sunday was not different. Barring Bahrain where Ferrari quite miraculously managed a 1-2, it has almost been a downslide since then.

Sunday was a momentous affair. It marked Ferrari’s 800th race in Formula 1 – the only team to have participated in Formula 1 since its inception. Unfortunately, their specially decorated car stole more limelight than the driver’s performance.

Ferrari picked up a paltry 10 points at the end of the Turkish Grand Prix. Felipe Massa finished the race in 7th place, right ahead of his team-mate Fernando Alonso. At the top of the table, it was a 1-2 for McLaren, who made the most of a collision between the two Red Bulls, with Hamilton finishing ahead of Button.

Ferrari was left to rue one more absolutely mediocre performance. Their lack of pace was once again glaringly evident, so much so that Alonso failed to make it to Q3 and Massa managed a poor 8th. After poor qualifying, it was a simple act of damage limitation. With the Red Bulls and McLarens running almost half a second a lap quicker and the circuit not offering many overtaking opportunities, it was impossible for any major turnaround in their fortunes this weekend.

The Ferrari management seemed in a consolatory mood with Chris Dyer announcing the Turkey GP as an acceptable result and Stefano Domenicali stating that Ferrari did what it could.

Fernando Alonso however was blunt in admitting that Ferrari have fallen behind the Red Bulls and the McLarens and that they have been forced to fight it out against the Renaults and the Mercedes. Massa on the other hand bemoaned the lack of overtaking in modern day Formula 1 because he was stuck behind Robert Kubica and the two Mercedes through out the race.

I feel Ferrari badly needs to reduce the ever increasing performance gap. Canada is a track that is expected to suit their cars. Hope their overall package update in Valencia does bring in a much needed improvement.

Richard’s F1 and iSport.in are in a content sharing agreement and hence you are reading this article which was first published on www.isport.in.